Sports Related Concussion Impacts Speech Rate and Muscle Physiology.
Russell E Banks, Deryk S Beal, Eric J Hunter
PMID 34499576WHAT IT FOUND
Former athletes with concussion history spoke more slowly and paused more on rapid speech tasks than matched controls, and blinded speech-language pathologists rated their rate as slower despite no current symptoms.
Key findings
01Athletes with a history of concussion produced slower average syllable rates and longer unvoiced time on most rapid speech tasks than matched controls.
02Blinded speech-language pathologists rated speech rate as slower for the concussion group, but did not find reliable group differences for articulatory precision or rhythmic consistency.
03Surface electromyography showed greater lip and jaw activation on most rapid speech tasks for the concussion group, while base-of-tongue activation did not separate groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The participants were former athletes with reported resolved symptoms and no appreciable speech or voice deficits, so the findings do not show what happens in acute concussion or persistent symptomatic cases. One participant with concussion history was excluded after reporting an exclusionary co-morbid neurological disorder. Time since the last concussion varied and was not uniform, which limits generalisation. Age at first injury was not controlled, even though the authors note it may influence speech outcomes. The study did not include athletes with acute sports-related concussion or active symptoms. The diagnostic cut-offs had low or moderate specificity, so some athletes without concussion history would also be flagged. Sex differences were not included in the final models because initial statistical models did not demonstrate an effect.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing or conflicts of interest. The article is listed as supported by N.I.H., Extramural.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use these speech timing or muscle activation measures to diagnose concussion or clear an athlete for return to play. The study compared groups after symptoms had resolved, and the reported cut-offs had low or moderate specificity, so some athletes without concussion history would also be flagged.